Drink at least 2-3Ls of water a day-your body needs water to function, plus dehydration can lead to premature labor

Try to exercise a little every day-brisk walking is an excellent form of exercise, yoga, swimming & cycling are also great

Do not diet or detox during your pregnancy

Find healthy alternatives to your cravings*-this is usually your body’s way of telling you something is missing from your diet.

*Eg, If you do find yourself drawn to the giant golden arches of McDonald’s desperate for a big juicy burger, your body is probably in need of some iron, why not try cooking a steak at home-a healthier alternative to a big greasy burger with plastic cheese.

Be aware though, if you are craving sugar, try not to give in. Craving sugar is usually a sign you are in need of protein (strange as this may sound). This is usually your body telling you to eat more frequently and that your blood sugar is low. Protein helps to sustain and stabilize blood sugar levels to prevent this from happening. Don’t go more that 2-3 hours without eating something. Try carrying bite size snacks in your purse so that you never are without!

During pregnancy it is not uncommon to find yourself as a human magnet. You will find that without realizing it, you have entered in to a new ‘members only’ club. Women of all ages will smile at you in the street, random people will stare at your belly in awe, doors will be held open for you, and total strangers will feel the need to put their hands on your bump. People love to tell you all sorts of things when you are pregnant. They will relish in telling you the joys, the horrors, the hells, the triumphs of their pregnancy and birth experiences. People will tell you ‘you should never do this’, and ‘definitely do that’, whether you ask for their opinion or not! You will hear things from your mother, your mother in law, your aunty, your cousin, your best friend, your boss’s wife, the elderly lady down the street, people on the bus, mom’s in the park, and it is likely that they are all saying completely different things. All this advice can become overwhelming and confusing, and is often not based on anything more than old wives tales. So I wanted to set a couple of common pregnancy myths straight.

The common pregnancy myth about ‘eating for two’, is just that-a myth. Although you want to nourish yourself during your pregnancy, you do not want to over eat. In reality, we only require an additional 100 calories in the first trimester, and 300 extra calories during the second and third, which when you think about it really isn’t a lot. During pregnancy your body becomes more efficient at absorbing nutrients from the foods you eat. Eating twice as much does not double your chances of having a healthy baby. Have you ever wondered why pregnant women are so prone to constipation? Unfortunately, constipation affects approximately half of all women at some point during their pregnancy. Although it may be annoying, it does have its purpose. The passage of food through the gut is slowed down due to the effects of pregnancy hormones progesterone and relaxin. The hormones relax the muscles of the intestines, which takes the body longer to move food along. The longer the food sits within the intestines, the more time the body has to absorb its nutrients needed to grow a healthy baby. Unfortunately, this can lead to constipation. The best ways to avoid constipation is by increasing your fiber intake, drinking plenty of water (around 2-3Ls a day) and by doing regular exercise.

Make healthy choices during your pregnancy. Your baby’s health is directly related to what you eat before, during and after pregnancy. Nutrition is key to a healthy pregnancy and birth and is the biggest and most valuable tool you have for avoiding discomforts and complications, such as nausea and vomiting, heartburn, leg cramps, high blood pressure and swelling. Overall, healthy moms have healthy babies.

Think quality over quantity. Nutrition is one of the only things you have complete control over. So make every bite count. Eat nutrient rich, organic whole foods whenever possible. Avoid processed and refined foods, artificial sweeteners and preservatives. This is important throughout, but especially during the first trimester, as many women will experience ‘morning sickness’, (which by the way is another myth, morning sickness can occur at ANY time of the day!) where it may be difficult stomach a lot of food. If you are throwing up, you want to be sure that the food you are getting is the best it can be, and full of all the vitamins and minerals you need for your baby.

It is normal to gain between 25-35lbs during pregnancy, but remember that weight gain is individual. If you start off with a BMI (body mass index) slightly lower than average, you may find your put on a little extra weight-don’t be alarmed! We put on weight for a reason, and it is normal. Do not try to diet or loose weight whilst pregnant. It is dangerous and can lead to a number of complications. Also, don’t expect the weight to just fall off once you’ve given birth. Although breastfeeding does help to loose some of the weight put on during pregnancy, our body does still need additional calories and weight whilst nursing. Be kind to yourself. Remember that the pregnancy weight took 9 months to put on, and it is perfectly acceptable for it to take 9 months, if not longer, for you to return to your normal weight again. Unfortunately, our bodies don’t just ping back in to shape the moment we give birth. Don’t be put off by stories of celebrities or even friends, returning to their pre-pregnancy skinny jeans 3 days after stepping foot outside of the hospital doors! This is not a reality, and we should not adopt these unrealistic expectations. It is not healthy for anyone!

Myth number 2 ‘fats will make you fat’ is another common misconception, not just in pregnancy but in general too. Avoiding fats will not stop you from gaining weight. Gaining weight is inevitable during pregnancy. In fact eating the right kinds of fats will actually help you burn fat, control your moods, and fight fatigue.

For years nutritionists and doctors have preached from the low-fat bible, claiming that cutting fats will aid weight loss, prevent heart disease and manage cholesterol. But eliminating fats entirely from our diets is not the answer. In our culture we are obsessed with fat-free, dairy-free and low-fat alternatives, we forget that certain amounts of fat are essential for our bodies to function effectively. Fats are crucial for the nervous system and the development of the baby’s brain. It is not about the total amount of fat in our diet, it is about the type of fat that we eat. We have to remember that not all fats are equal.

A walk through the aisles of Albertsons or Ralphs provides us with many supposedly ‘guilt free’ alternatives: Fat free ice cream, low fat candies, cookie and cakes. When you come to browse the shelves for milk, for example, it is pretty hard to come across a carton of whole, or full fat milk. The array of low-fat and fat-free alternatives are all around us, but they do not take the importance of essential milk fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins (A & D) in to consideration. Today most people think they are doing a good thing by drinking low-fat milk, but most of these commercial milk products are completely deficient of these vital nutrients. These products are marketed to our nation’s insecurities surrounding body image and weight gain. The low-fat label is a marketing tool, and a good one at that. One that’s had us fooled for many decades. If you think about it another way, 2% milk still has a very low fat content-2%-that’s 98% fat free!

The truth is, pregnancy is not the time to be doing fat-free anything. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating bingeing on nothing but cheesey fries with lashings of ranch dressing, Twinkies and chocolate sundaes, but the key is seeking out the ‘good’ fats. Ones which really are healthy for us. It is about cutting out the bad fats and replacing them with healthier choices to promote optimum health.

We have all heard the phrase, ‘You are what you eat’, but now according to an article in Time magazine, ‘We are also what our mothers eat’!

Your baby’s health is directly related to what you eat before, during and after pregnancy. ‘Healthy Mothers have healthy babies’, as Robin Lim states in her book, ‘Eating for Two’. Nutrition is key to a healthy pregnancy and birth and is the biggest and best tool you have for avoiding discomforts and complications, such as…

Since around 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, living a healthy, eco-conscious lifestyle may be the best thing you can do to prepare your body for having children, planned or not.

It is important to focus on good nutrition as soon as you can. Eat wholesome organic foods whenever possible. Remember that good nutrition is like an investment-You have to pay upfront to get the desired result. The majority of birth defects occur in the first three weeks of pregnancy, often before many women know they are pregnant. It is therefore important that you already have your nutrient reserves boosted. If you are currently trying to conceive, now is the perfect time to make changes to your diet, to ensure you are getting the essential nutrients for your pregnancy. Often perceived ‘infertility’ can be resolved through dietary changes and/or alternative therapies, such as Acupuncture. Start taking a prenatal multivitamin (even if you are not pregnant yet). This acts as an ‘insurance policy’ for anything you may be lacking in your diet. In our modern world, unhealthy farming practices, such as spraying crops with chemical fungicides and insecticides, rob our soil and therefore our foods of vital nutrients, which is why I would recommend taking a prenatal vitamin, even if you already have a healthy diet. However, simply taking a multi-vitamin, is not enough by itself. Supplementation should not take the place of food. It is always better to get nutrients direct from food sources rather than from a synthetic source, as your body will be able to digest and absorb them more readily.

If you are already pregnant, don’t worry-it is never too late. You may find completing a food diary helpful. Jot down everything you are eating over the course of a week (and be honest). It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you will find you pay more attention to what you’re eating, and you’ll be more cautious about your food choices when you know you have to write it down. Show it to your healthcare provider, to see if they have a recommendations. It is also important to remember that the benefits of eating wisely during pregnancy are not just confined to the womb, it lays a strong foundation for our children’s future health and their eating habits for the rest of their lives.

As some of you may already realize, Folic Acid, or Folate, is one of the important nutrients a woman needs during pregnancy (especially in the first 3 months) to prevent against Neural Tube Disorders, such as Spina Bifida, but how many of you know that Folic Acid is great to take PRE-pregnancy too? Folic Acid can be depleted by oral contraceptives and is helpful for enhancing fertility in both men and women. Think, leafy greens, nuts, green beans, asparagus, legumes, lima beans, wholegrains and oranges for healthy sources of Folic Acid.

Below are my 2 favorite Prenatal Multi Vitamins. There are both organic whole food based supplements, rather than synthetic versions. This means the nutrients are more easily broken down, processed and absorbed by the body (bio-available), and you are highly unlikely to get any allergic reactions or unpleasant side effects.

We all know, even though we would like to, sometimes we can’t always buy 100% organic. Either our purse-strings can’t stretch that far, or organic foods are not readily available. But, do not fear, you can still dramatically reduce exposure to toxins and chemicals by following these simple guidelines. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), whose mission is to ‘use the power of public information and knowledge to protect the public… and those most vulnerable’, have come up with a ‘Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides’. They have compiled a list of 49 fruits and vegetables and ranked them based on their pesticide level. The analysis found customers could cut their pesticide exposure by nearly 80% by simply avoiding the fruits and vegetables found to be highest in pesticides the ‘Dirty Dozen’, and instead, choosing items from the ‘Clean 15’ list. The guide helps consumers make informed choices to lower their dietary pesticide load. The top ten worst fruits and veg, or the ‘Dirty Dozen’ i.e. loaded with pesticides are: celery (the worst), peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes and imported grapes. Those with the lowest level of pesticides are: onions (the best), avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, mangoes, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe melon, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato and honeydew melon.

What better way to celebrate Earth Day 2011, than by supporting our local farmers. Here is yet another reason to add to the stack for eating locally grown organic fruits and veg.

Over recent years, there has been increased awareness and considerable concern regarding the potential health effects from the use of organophosphate (OPs) pesticides. OP pesticides are neurotoxic to the body, meaning they have a poisonous effect on the nervous system. Neurotoxic substances damage nerve cells and disrupt nerve impulses to and from the brain. Symptoms include obsessive or uncontrollable behavior, cognitive and behavioral problems, and are linked to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. New research published yesterday in the Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives, reveals an association between prenatal exposure to pesticides and reduced IQ in children aged 7. The findings of this study held true even after taking in to account maternal education, family income and exposure to other toxins, adding even more validity to the results. Considering the extensive use of pesticides on commercially grown crops in America, this research is highly significant. A comprehensive study of more than 13,000 Americans, conducted by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, found widespread evidence of pesticides in the bodies of everyone tested. Finding the body of an average American contained 13 of these toxic chemicals. This is worrying as despite the increased popularity and consumption of organic foods, these chemicals are still finding their way in to our bodies via our food and the environment. With childhood learning and behavioral conditions such as ADHD and autism, chronic allergies and asthma, all of which on the rise, it makes you wonder whether extensive pesticide use on our farms could be a contributing factor.

Researchers and nutrition consultants recommend reducing exposure to these chemicals by buying fresh organic foods where possible (see, ‘The Dirty Dozen‘), and thoroughly washing all fruits and vegetables using a soft brush. It is important for pregnant women to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables in order to gain all the vitamins and minerals required to grow a healthy baby. Organically grown crops are at least 50% higher in vitamin and mineral content than non-organic commercially grown crops. However, although eating organic is important, it is not the only piece of the puzzle. Even organically grown produce can be sprayed with pesticides and chemicals if imported from other countries. Strict import regulations require products to be sprayed with chemicals on entering the country or crossing borders, in order to prevent cross contamination. Even when food is labeled as organic, it may not be ‘fully organic’, we may still be exposed to many nasty chemicals. That is why eating locally produced fruits and vegetables or even growing your own, is the way forward! So go ahead and support your local farmers!

I am excited to be launching my new blog, SmiffyBaby//Certified Organic Births.

As some of you may already know, I am a Midwife and Doula, and I am passionate about all things bumps, babies and beyond! My aim is to create awareness, spark discussion and inspire people to look beyond the ‘normal’ practices that occur within our maternity systems today. I want to celebrate the true beauty of pregnancy and birth, and also create a space where you as followers can offer your opinions and thoughts. So please feel free to send me your feedback. I look forward to hearing from you.